FC Barcelona confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that Lionel Messi has informed the club he wants to leave after nearly two decades of service.
The club said their talismanic forward expressed his desire to leave in a memo sent to management. According to the memo, Messi hopes to activate an unusual clause in his contract that allows him to opt out at the end of each season. Barcelona disagrees, indicating that the clause had to be triggered in June, and now the player — or one of his suitors — must pay an $826M buyout fee to secure a transfer.
Since the season was extended due to the coronavirus, Messi’s camp is “set to argue” that the deadline for enacting the clause should be moved to August 31, according to The Guardian. The club also has stated that it will seek legal advice in handling Messi’s request.
If Messi does leave, the most likely destinations for him are Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, two of a handful of clubs that would be able to pay him the salary he’ll be able to command. Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and director of football Txiki Begiristain — under whom Messi won two Champions League titles — currently fulfill the same respective roles for Manchester City.
Other key players who could be following Messi out the door include Luis Suárez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti.
During Messi’s time with Barcelona, he’s helped the club win 10 Spanish league titles and four Champions League crowns, and has personally taken home a record six Ballon d’Or awards, the sport’s highest individual honor.
Messi’s request to end his tenure comes 11 days after Barcelona’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, one of the worst defeats in the club’s illustrious history.
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